WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 18, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES RIPOSTE BY 60 ECONOMISTS TO CALL FOR CUTS More than 60 leading economists have backed Alistair Darling’s decision to delay spending cuts until 2011, creating a dividing line within the profession on the crucial general election issue of how to tackle the UK’s huge public debt. Two letters in today’s Financial Times warn [...]
Putting a spin on humble sneakers February 25, 2010 THEY’RE a funny thing, trainers. They are as much a part of a man’s functional wardrobe as jeans, but unlike jeans, they are also very expressive. Hip Camden Converse wearers are a different tribe to those who prance about in Usain Bolt’s yam-coloured Pumas, while those who spend evenings enjoying the box-fresh smell of their [...]
250-YEAR OLD BOOZER BREAKS TRADITION TO BRING IN EARLY BIRDS January 25, 2010 TIMES really are a-changin’, aren’t they? We’ve all noticed a shift in the financial community’s attitude to wining and dining over the past few years, with slick power breakfasts replacing boozy lunches as the City’s repast of choice. But surely the old guard of the banking world never dreamed they’d see the day when Simpson’s [...]
The big freeze hits January retail sales as shoppers avoid high street stores January 27, 2010 THERE was more gloom for the UK’s economy yesterday after retail sales for January look likely to have stalled after snow and the VAT hike kept shoppers away from the high street. The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) monthly distributive trades survey showed that the balance of retailers reporting an increase in sales fell to [...]
Big freeze and VAT hike hit January sales January 27, 2010 RETAILERS suffered in Britain’s big freeze as shoppers deserted the high street at the start of the year. Figures from the CBI laid bare the grim news for shops with poor weather and the end of the VAT reduction taking their toll in January. The monthly survey found that 36 per cent of retailers saw [...]
Asda’s staff cash in on shares June 1, 2009 Supermarket retailer Asda today has announced that over 16,500 colleagues will share in a £43m payout thanks to the company’s Sharesave plan. This years plan will be the largest ever payout since Wal-Mart acquired Asda in 1999. The current stock price means all investors will receive a 150 per cent return on their monthly investments. [...]
Adams in strife as parent calls in the administrator January 24, 2010 Childrenswear chain Adams has gone in to administration for the second time in little more than a year, putting 2,000 jobs at risk. Insolvency firm MCR was called in on Friday to Adams’ parent company, JS Childrenswear. MCR partner Paul Clark said “all options” were being considered for the business, which has 120 stores across [...]
Morrisons to trump its retail rivals January 17, 2010 WM MORRISON supermarkets is expected to announce outstanding trading results this week as it emerges from the Christmas period outperforming its rivals. Like-for-like sales of the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket chain are predicted to have improved seven per cent on the previous year, adding to the impressive turnaround overseen by soon-to-depart chief executive Marc Bolland. Bolland [...]
Supermarkets score for both value and reputation December 15, 2009 In the highly-competitive world of supermarkets, there are two basic types of brand: those which are “cheap and cheerful”, which focus on low cost while maintaining reasonable quality; and those which cost more but make a feature of the higher quality products. These show up very clearly in the respective average BrandIndex scores from the [...]
MEN: IT’S TIME TO SAY YES TO THOSE MOOBS December 17, 2009 Jeremy Hazlehurst Style Counsel FOR men, there are sure-fire signs that you are getting older. You start getting an urge to ruffle the hair of young boys. Everybody in the England football team is younger than you. And then there is the inevitability of getting fatter. In their 20s, many men can’t put on weight [...]